May 28 is ‘Jerusalem Day’ (Hebrew: יום ירושלים, Yom Yerushalayim), “an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. The day is officially marked by state ceremonies and memorial services” (Wikipedia).

But for Palestinians, Jerusalem Day is a reminder of the illegal & brutal Israeli occupation that they live under as well as the ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem, which no state on earth recognizes as being Israeli territory.

I spent two days in Jerusalem after participating in the first US LGBTQ delegation tour of Palestine back in January 2012 & I’m struck by how the Temple Mount (‘Haram al-Sharif’ in Arabic) — the site of the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 ACE — is arguably the most contested site in the most contested city on earth. Only the end of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem will bring true peace to this troubled city…

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